The city of Pearland is helping homeowners complete needed repairs through its Housing Enforcement and Rehabilitation Opportunities grant program, which launched in October.

The HERO program was created to assist with low to moderate single-family home repairs in portions of the city with a higher likelihood of building code violations, such as neighborhoods with older or dilapidated properties, Pearland grants coordinator Joel Hardy said.

“Older homes and low-income residents seem to face financial challenges that limit their ability to repair uninsured damage [caused by] storms, dilapidation from age and other problems,” he said. “Some of this dilapidation and repair work is so visible that it is impacting the quality of life and value of the neighboring homes. We assist those [who] are unable to do so, [most times] because of financial impediments.”

One of the biggest projects completed through the program thus far replaced a resident’s roof that was damaged when Hurricane Ike hit the region, city officials said.

In addition to HERO grant funds for the roof, the homeowner received financial assistance to replace a failing water heater and repair drywall damaged by mold. The repairs totaled $13,360, according to officials.

The city also replaced two defective HVAC units for another homeowner at a cost of $11,985.

“I was out of work when I sought assistance from the city of Pearland,” resident Leondro McHargh said. “With [their] assistance, we were able to get the old [air conditioner] and furnace units replaced and avoided more costly repairs.”

More projects, including improvements to properties that have suffered substantial damage, were pending approval as of late May, officials said.

“One important characteristic of the program that eligible homeowners need to be aware of is that our grant funds are designed to make ‘like-and-kind’ repairs, not to make aesthetic improvements or exceed basic standards,” Hardy said.

The program’s benefits go beyond helping homeowners, Hardy said. The health and safety of Pearland—in addition to economic development—stands to gain from HERO improvements, officials said. Nearly $161,000 has been budgeted for the program this fiscal year.

“The funding can carry over year-to-year, if unspent, with new Community Development Block Grant allocation activities allowing us to plan to use additional funds that come to the city each year for this purpose,” Hardy said.